Zaza Okuashvili [founder of Mtavari Arkhi], said the activities of Nika Gvaramia [leader of Coalition for Change], and Giorgi Gabunia [Director General of Mtavari Arkhi], were “an example of how one could hide behind the media and rob a TV company at the expense of the current situation”.

His comment followed after the statement of Gabunia, who claimed that Okuashvili decided to take action in alignment with the interests of Bidzina Ivanishvili [Honorary Chairman of Georgian Dream], by attempting to shut down Mtavari Arkhi.

“In response to Giorgi Gabunia’s statement, I declare that I did not make a decision to shut down Mtavari Arkhi, and Gabunia’s statement is a slander against me and part of Gvaramia’s plan to wrap their case and interests in a way Gabunia presented [to the public]. The problematic issue related to Mtavari Arkhi, which Gvaramia and Gabunia so unexpectedly brought up publicly today, does not serve the interests of the channel and is a step taken against it. No disruptive steps have been taken by me regarding the channel, and the complaints that have existed against the channel’s management for several months have remained the same.

The problem of the Mtavari Arkhi is that the directors - first Gvaramia and then Gabunia - brought the channel to bankruptcy. Their activities are an example of how one can hide behind the media and rob a TV company at the expense of the patience of employees and the current situation in the country, using and turning a TV channel into a machine for laundering millions of dollars internationally.

I want to remind the public that I personally am conducting several ongoing international disputes against Bidzina Ivanishvili, and Giorgi Gabunia’s poorly packaged accusations against me about my connection to Ivanishvili are comical and devoid of logic. On the contrary, I would ask questions about Nika Gvaramia’s abundant and unhindered sources of funding and the issue of becoming the “main opposition party.”

It seems that the former and current directors of the Mtavari Arkhi were looking for a favorable moment and unfortunately chose the difficult period that Georgia is going through today for this.

My desire is for the channel to continue operating smoothly with a full staff and management that will not seek to accumulate personal wealth at the expense of the TV company”, - reads the statement of Zaza Okuashvili.